The voice of local businesses working on projects for a lively, stronger, safer and better district

Welcome to this month’s issue of the OSDP newsletter. Each month, we bring you all of the latest news, views, offers and important information from our favourite corner of London.

While the year may not be off to the start that we had hoped for, we’ve been amazed by the resilience and innovation of our business community in recent months. Please remember that our team are here to support you, so do not hesitate to get in touch. You can also familiarise yourself with what the latest restrictions mean by heading to the gov.uk website. 

In this month’s issue, we're inviting you to get active with us and Pure Sports Medicine in our virtual events series! We’re also filling you in on the great work of our local charities and organisations, as well as tips on some at-home offers from our local businesses. 

Remember, we love hearing from you, so please do not hesitate to get in touch with updates from your business or organisation via comms@oldstreetdistrict.london.

Get moving with OSDP and Pure Sports Medicine

Last week, we were thrilled to start the year with energy and movement courtesy of Pure Sports Medicine’s Strength and Conditioning Session.

Over the coming months, we’ll be running a variety of classes to get you moving. Join us on Thursday 28 January for an Online Yoga Class – working from home posture sorted!

Then on Thursday 4 February, we’ve got another fantastic Strength and Conditioning Session with Coach Andy.

If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can also sign up for Online Pilates on Thursday 25 February! 

Remember, if you have any difficulty when signing up, you can drop us an email: comms@oldstreetdistrict.london 

Celebrating the fantastic work of Idia's Community Kitchen, St Monica's

This month, we were so pleased to be able to support the amazing Idia’s Community Kitchen at St Monica’s Church in Hoxton. Idia’s Community Kitchen is a grassroots community project which has been running from several locations since 2017. The idea for Idia’s Kitchen, which is named after Chef Aina’s late daughter, came to Aina after she saw food wasted at the college kitchen where she worked.

The team’s goal is to reduce waste and feed people in need. The Kitchen runs food donation tables seven days a week and serves hot meals three evenings a week, all made with food that is near its expiration date collected from nearby shops. Local branches of The Co-Op and Tesco, as well as places like Fabrique Bakery and Sabretooth Coffee Shop have all helped out with donations of food.

Our donation has helped the team to purchase an electric cargo bike, which will enable them to carry out much bigger collections from supermarkets and to deliver hot meals to  people in need, including homeless people in the area.

If you’d like to find out more, or make a donation, get in touch with the team via idiaskitchen@yahoo.com.

£100 will provide a hot meal for 130 people in crisis
£10 will provide a family with essential toiletries to last a month
£15 will help the team give an essentials bag to every guest user

At home with the Old Street District...

If you’re missing the delicious food up for grabs on and around Old Street, look no further! There are some fabulous dishes available for takeaway and delivery:

Has your business got a cool at-home offering that you want to shout about? Drop us an email and we’ll make sure to feature it on our socials or in our newsletter.  

Updates from our Partners

#CommunitiesDefeatTerrorism

With the coronavirus pandemic changing all of our day to day life routines, it is understandable that the threat from terrorism isn’t necessarily front of mind for everyone across the country. But the threat of terrorism sadly has not gone away.

Given national and regional restrictions, compared to previous years, there may be a different look and feel to city centres and public locations over the festive season. However, the recent terror attacks in Europe and the change in the UK’s terrorism threat level to SEVERE – meaning an attack is highly likely – are reminders of how important it is to stay vigilant wherever you are out and about.

As an organisation we work closely with the police to help keep our staff and customers safe and this year we are supporting the Counter Terrorism Policing Winter Vigilance Campaign which encourages the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.

If you see or hear something suspicious, trust your instincts and ACT. Report it to a security staff or in confidence to the police online at gov.uk/ACT. In an emergency always call 999.

To learn more about the role that you can play in defeating terrorism, free online training is available here.

Leave Home, Save Lives 

Refugee employment charity Breaking Barriers are proud to launch a new online exhibition on 26th January 2021 – Leave home, Save Lives – stories of key workers from refugee backgrounds. Curated by actress Juliet Stevenson, and with portraits taken by world-renowned photographer Rankin, the exhibition looks at the inspirational stories of seven individuals from refugee backgrounds, their journeys to the UK, their lives and their roles in essential frontline services during the pandemic. 

Breaking Barriers found that during the Covid-19 pandemic refugees have been significantly impacted. Of those surveyed by Breaking Barriers, 70% have been unemployed for over a year, nearly 30% are homeless and one in five have mental health issues. Despite this, many refugees have been taking on vital roles in the UK to keep the country running. 
Register to be notified when the exhibition opens at leavehomesavelives.co.uk and share your thoughts on the exhibition on social media using #LeaveHomeSaveLives.

Old Street’s best kept secret

Reconnect with your work colleagues in exclusive surroundings at The HAC.
HAC’s central London venue offers exceptional facilities in the heart of the city and the team are delighted to be able to safely host essential business meetings and training at The HAC as an accredited Covid-19 secure venue. 
 
HAC are offering complimentary upgrades to their larger event spaces to allow for social distancing, and will also apply a 10% venue hire discount for Old Street businesses holding meetings or trainings in 2021 booked prior to 30th April 2021. 
 
Please email sales@hac.org.uk and let the team know how they can assist you. 
 
The team wishes you all a healthy 2021 and look forward to welcoming you to The HAC soon.

News from Hackney and Islington Councils

Thank you

Thanks for reading this month’s OSDP newsletter! Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any comments, thoughts or suggestions for our next issue.

If you have any issues opening or reading this newsletter, please contact us via comms@oldstreetdistrict.london or call 07508 813 372.

And if you're not already, make sure you follow us on our social media channels below.

Keep safe and have a great month!